Amur tiger

Changbai (chang-BUY): Female, born at the Philadelphia Zoo on May 24, 2007. Changbai is named for a mountain reserve in China where tigers are found.

Dimitri: Male, born at the Columbus Zoo in Ohio on June 28, 2012. He arrived at the Philadelphia Zoo on January 10, 2014, with his brother, Wiz.

Wiz: Male, born at the Columbus Zoo in Ohio on June 29, 2012. He arrived at the Philadelphia Zoo on January 10, 2014, with his brother, Dimitri. Wiz was named after James Wisniewski, a hockey player for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Where to find me in the Zoo

First Niagara Big Cat Falls

Fun Facts

Each tiger has its own unique stripe pattern.

Amur tigers have a thick fur coat and a layer of fat up to 2 inches (5 cm) on their belly and flanks that help them tolerate temperatures as low as -45 degrees F (-42.8 degrees C).

By their first birthday, tiger cubs will join their mother in hunting for food, and by 2 years of age, they are able to kill larger prey on their own. By 3 years of age they will leave their mother and go out on their own.

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Amur tigers are the biggest cats in the world. They have a round head with a heavy skull, strong facial muscles and an extremely powerful jaw. The "eye of the tiger" faces forward, giving the tiger depth perception useful during hunting. Even in the poorest light, a tiger's eyesight is six times greater than that of a human's. They also have a keen sense of hearing and equilibrium. Strong legs and silent paws help it hunt, run and jump.

Amur tiger’s fur is a very thick yellow to reddish color with a black stripe pattern. This thick coat and a layer of fat up to 2 inches (5 cm) thick on their belly and flanks help them tolerate temperatures as low as -45 degrees F (7 degrees C).

The tigers’ famous stripes help them to camouflage themselves from their prey while hunting. No two tigers have the same stripe pattern. Just as humans are identified through their own unique fingerprints, tigers are identified by their individual stripe patterns.

Longevity

The lifespan of a tiger is 16 years old.

Reproduction

Amur tigers can mate throughout the year, although mating usually occurs between November and April. The gestation period for the tiger ranges from 103-110 days. Females will give birth to a litter of 2-3 cubs, although they have been known to give birth to as many as 6 cubs.

A female reaches sexual maturity between 2-3 years of age. Through the next 10-12 years of a tigress’ life she may give birth to a litter every 2-3 years. The cubs will open their eyes between 9-12 days. She will nurse them and raise them alone for up to 6 months. Once the cubs are weaned they will have learned hunting techniques from mom. The cubs will be independent by the age of 18 months.

Behavior

Amur tigers may be active at all times of the day and night, however they are primarily nocturnal. They roam the Amur regions in the Russian Far East. The Amur river in this region forms a border between Northeastern China and the Russian Far East. Males and females come together only to mate and occasionally share large prey items. They are very territorial covering large stretches of their range. Although males will not overlap territories, several females may have smaller areas inside the territory of one male.

Both males and females mark their territory by spraying a strong odor along its borders. They will also scratch and claw trees to show others that they are nearby.

More than any other cats, Amur tigers rely on their sense of sight. Tigers will stalk their prey and get as close as possible before pouncing on it. Once the prey is killed, it is dragged off to a safe place where the tiger will consume the meat until it is full. The prey is then covered and hidden so that the tiger can return at a later time to eat again.

Tigers produce various sounds and communications. One is a loud roar that can be heard over vast distances.

Size

Amur tigers can grow to 12 feet (3.6m) long, from nose to the tip of their tail.

Weight

Diet

Tigers hunt prey of all ages and physical condition including animals in their prime. The favored prey of wild tigers is deer and wild boar. At the Zoo, their diet includes a commercial meat mix, solid beef, beef shank bones and long bones. The diet is formulated to meet the nutritional needs of each animal. Beef long bones are offered once a week mainly to provide chewing activity. Beef shank bones have nearly 7 lbs of meat attached to the bone; the tigers enjoy tearing the meat from the bones. In addition to food, the shank bones provide exercise for the animal’s jaw muscles.

Geographic Range

The Amur tiger is found in isolated habitats across eastern Asia. They may be found in areas of both Russian and China.

Conservation Status

On the 2011 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the Amur tiger is listed as Endangered.

Conservation at a Glance

The Philadelphia Zoo works with partners and colleagues around the world to save wildlife. From South America to Asia to Africa, these projects are conducting research, protecting habitat, educating communities and building capacity. We are proud to support them and the important work they do.

Amur tigers are threatened by habitat loss and poaching to support the illegal trade in tiger parts. There are estimated to be only about 400 Amur tigers left in the wild.

Tigris Foundation programs support anti-poaching efforts, forest fire-fighting, population monitoring and habitat analysis among other measures needed to protect these magnificent cats.

Russian Far East: Save the Tiger/Tigris Foundation

Tigers in the wild are threatened by poaching to support the illegal trade in tiger parts, and habitat loss. There are estimated to be only about 400 Amur tigers left in the wild.

The Zoo supports Save the Tiger Fund and the Tigris Foundation that study tigers and fund anti-poaching patrols to protect tigers.

Ensuring the survival of tigers in the wild requires that current and potential future habitats be monitored and evaluated for their ability to successfully host tiger populations; the Save the Tiger Fund’s TCL campaign works toward preserving these areas for use by wild tigers.

The Save the Tiger Fund and Tigris Foundation also monitor wild tiger populations through research.

The Tigris Foundation also supports the conservation of the Amur leopard, perhaps the most endangered large cat in the world.